


Gone Mad with the night

by ErrolsFeather



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Reality, Alternate Universe - Reality Show, Angst, Competition, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Nightmares, Smut, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:35:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 18,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26112751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ErrolsFeather/pseuds/ErrolsFeather
Summary: When Emma  Swan wakes at la isla pesadilla she know she is trapped in an ongoing reality show. The only way out is to 'kill,' her opponent , 'The Queen of Darkness.'Regina Mills has been on the island for over a year when Emma arrives, having beaten every opponent before her, she plan to beat Emma as well.Follow the two in a battle each other to either win or get tossed of the island.
Relationships: Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan
Comments: 17
Kudos: 45
Collections: Swan Queen Supernova V: Forever Starstruck





	1. On the Island

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Dragoon23](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragoon23/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Gone Mad with the Night - [Protostar Art]](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26157547) by [Dragoon23](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragoon23/pseuds/Dragoon23). 



> Author's Note: When I first saw the art for this I considered doing a story along the TV-series lost, but then I figured I would have more fun making it a contest and this is the result. I hope you as a reader find this as much fun as I did writing it :o) 
> 
> Author's note 2 : Shout out to my beta Cptbauman , I couldn't have done this without you ;o) 
> 
> Shout out to Dragoon23 for making the amazing art that inspired this fic ! 
> 
> Sexual encounter - Read at own risk.

**_Gone Mad with the night_ **

**_On the Island_ **

Emma Swan startled when she heard that a voice say, “Welcome to la isla pesadilla. The rules are simple: Stay alive, because nothing is what it seems, and make sure to not go mad in the darkness.”

The blonde’s eyes widened as she tried to get up feeling slightly sluggish. La Isla pesadilla - ‘The nightmare island’. Where had she heard that name before? Why did that seem so familiar? And not to mention why did she feel so off? A groan as she looked around seeing what could only be a supply pack of some kind. She sat on her knees, looking at it. It was a backpack containing some food, a bag of chips, a hunting knife, a shotgun and some bullets, a water bottle and some things for first aid things. Next to it was a saber. She put the backpack on and took the saber with her wondering what the time was.

A deep breath as her eyes used some more time to get used to the darkness, noticing the air around her was fresh yet humid. It smelled like she was deep within a forest of some kind and as her eyes slowly got used to the surroundings in the dim almost nonexistent light she saw there were threes and bushes all around because of the shadows. Looking up she could see something that seemed like a starry night sky high above her and estimate roughly how tall the trees were.

Slowly the blonde started to walk, not knowing where, rubbing her temples. She was trying to remember the events before this. She had been out with her friend Ruby for drinks. Ruby….?

Flashes coming back to her like pieces of puzzle. She suddenly knew why she was there and where she was. This wasn’t a real world. It was a part of TV and streaming show that had taken the country with storm. Two people were trapped on this island where it was never daylight, battling against each other until one was standing in the end. She had watched it on and off between her busy shifts as the station. Her brothers and sisters in arms were cheering for the woman that was dubbed, “The Queen of Darkness,” to her knowledge she had beat every competition yet.

The blonde didn’t even know how competitors were chosen or how they got there, still she found it good entertainment. It was at least up to this moment when she stood here, knowing she had to beat this unbeatable woman that had beaten eleven men and eleven women before her. The last one, a Mallory Drake a wilderness expert, even seemed to have been in a relationship with her while she was in there. It led Emma to think they knew each other from before. Then again, a favorite among the fans, a Robin ‘something’ had also tried to get with her. No one really knew if he succeeded as the bathroom and bedroom scenes were not filmed, so you could only see them go in and out together drawing a conclusion. That was if you managed to gain her trust so you could set foot and share the base and even that was a long shot.

She vaguely remembered that intimate scene everywhere else was shown, making a mental note of this. She could still recall how Regina and Mallory had done it against a three, and near the black lake before Regina had thrown her in the water. It was how they tossed you off, you died in the black lake. Or so she assumed having heard nothing of the competitors after that point. A deep breath as she reasoned there had to be another and better way out of this.

Emma wondered in her silent mind why Ruby had signed her up for this, recalling their last conversation at the bar. The two had been drinking beers at their usual spot and watching Regina on the TV over the counter, fearless as ever.

“She is something isn’t she?” Ruby had said taking another sip of her beer.

“I suppose,” Emma had shrugged. Why did it matter what she thought she was never going to meet her in any case. Whether she thought she was hot or not didn’t really matter.

“You can’t really deny it, if you had the chance you would try your luck,” Ruby teased her with a wink.

“Maybe I would, maybe I would not,” Emma shrugged again. She hated to admit she felt sorry for this woman that couldn’t leave, wondering what her life was like on the outside and if she could continue it when she got back.

“What’s eating you?” Ruby was noticing something clearly was.

“It is just that... she is fighting for her life in there, for us it is entertainment. For her it is to survive against all measures. Is she missing her life outside, can she go back to it after? Will she ever be the same again after what she has been through? It doesn’t seem fair does it, just because someone signed her up for it. In a way she is a prisoner there as she refused to give up,” Emma finished. She took a deep sip of her beer then. She couldn’t remember Ruby’s answer to that as it was starting to get fuzzy. Then she had woken up here and what now?

Now she had to fight this amazing enigma of a woman. It scared her as much as it thrilled her, she knew she would not be given any advantages. She was feeling a little pissed off at Ruby then, making a mental note to kick her ass later. Still maybe she could find a way to….

* * *

Emma never managed to finish that though as an arrow shot through the air right past her, making a scratch on her arm. She barley took any notice of it; it was just a scratch. She simply picked it up from the tree it had fastened in and kept walking. It was a tactic she knew. If the other woman wanted her dead, she wouldn’t have missed on target. ‘Show no fear’ she told herself as she kept walking. Further into the jungle, until she was at a spot that seemed to be so dark she could hardly make anything out. She felt with her hands, before leaning against a three trunk. A small whistle as she tried to get her head around it all, when she heard a snarky voice say, “You can’t win this, you know.”

She lifted her head and looked at the woman she had seen for almost a year on the TV screen. Regina was now wearing a black top and army pants. She had a hand riffle pointed at her. Her once long black hair was now cut short- almost boy short Emma reckoned. The brunette looked tired and dirty, but then again, what could one expect being here for almost a year, killing person after person to survive? She was strong this woman she knew. Even if she wasn’t tall or much to look at this point.

Emma could vividly remember how she looked in the beginning at this show. With long luscious hair, makeup and fancy clothing, this woman was not even a mirror image of her. She was an outlaw, a wild beast that did anything to survive.

“Maybe I will, and maybe I won’t. I have an advantage and that is I have been watching you for almost a year,” Emma said, not bothering getting up. Instead she found the bag of chips and ate a few.

“A…year. Has it really been that long?” the other woman asked baffled. Sure she seen men and women come and gone as she made sure of it. But a year…It hadn’t seemed that long. But who could really tell in this dark jungle.

“Yes, I believe it has, Regina. Or do you prefer Miss Mills?” Emma wondered polite.

“The Queen or your Majesty. I do believe I have earned it,” Regina stood high and mighty now.

“Alright, your Majesty. Is there anything I can give you of Intel from the outside world?” the blonde wondered, holding up the bag of chips. A peace offering.

The other woman took one as she sat down next to her on the ground, “I assume you can’t tell me about my family. I had a friend thought, Belle French, she was set to marry a man when I got in here, maybe you seen it in the paper, it was a big deal,” she recalled. She hated that she had missed out on that and only then found it had been ages since she even thought about the brunette. Did she even think of her?

“Let me think; Belle French she married Gold, but divorced him later on. He beat the living daylights out of her and is in jail. They divorced shortly after and she got most of the property. Think the gossip has her with someone new. Some of my fellow officers came to her aid, I am a cop by the way. Or rather more of a detective, but I work in both fields,” Emma quickly explained.

“Thank god she got out of it with her life, I told her he wasn’t any good,” said she with a sigh. Regina made a mental not to get further details on this if she ever made it out. Then she wondered, “Do they still have coffee shops run by people and snickers bars? I would kill for one of those! Is the president still the same? I don’t think the election was until later this year? Is the country still at peace? What about electronics? Is there still…daylight out there? I miss that, I really miss that. If I could have anything that would be it.”

Even in the darkness they were in Emma could clearly see how Regina’s face softened by the mention of daylight. She wanted to take her into her arms and hug her then, tell her about it, how it still shone, how people were still enjoying it, getting tanned. How the children played within sprinklers or rode on their bikes. Instead what came out was, “Wow, a lot of questions! The president is still the same but there is a woman up for the run in the next election she is pretty popular. ‘Seems to have her head in the right place.’ At peace…it is as much as a mess as it always was, especially with the clown of a president, but there is not a civil war yet. Electronics has not changed much, only some upgrades. As for coffee, snickers bars and the sun are still there. How does it work in here? I mean food and shelter wise,” Emma answered.

She thought about how to answer Emma’s question, not wanting to help out the competition too much. She took a breath saying, “You usually get things by completion or if we fight and you win. You can also make food of what you find in the jungle of fruit, berries, leaves and animals, fish even. Or you can win access to the fort if I trust you enough, there is always some supply there. How they manage to fill it I never know, but I assume they do when I am out hunting or other things.”

“Other things like sleeping with your competition, you Majesty,” said Emma in a teasing tone.

“Like that. Even I have needs. You would to if you had been in here for this long,” said she with a shrug as she got up.

Emma knew she struck a nerve, “I didn’t mean anything by it. I get it; I would probably do the same.”

“You…don’t know what this place does to you in the end. It drives you crazy being here mostly alone, not trusting anyone. The darkness…it can be overwhelming,” she said took a deep breath now. Looking away. Sometimes she just wanted to scream.

Emma put a gentle hand on her shoulder, for a short moment their eyes meet and she felt something. Tenderness perhaps. But it got quickly washed away as the woman managed to lay her to the ground with an arm over her throat. Emma’s eyes widened by this as the other woman in a harsh tone said, “Don’t ever touch me without my consent.”

Emma managed to somehow roll them over so she was on top pinning her down saying, “I won’t ever touch you again, your Majesty. Now if you will excuse me, I need to find shelter.”

She made sure to pin her for a few moments more to show her who was boss, before bolting into the jungle as fast as she could. She ran and ran before she came to a tall three where she climbed up a three to catch her breath. Heaving for it, panting so hard it hurt her chest.

The blonde found the bottle in her backpack and drank two big sips of the water. Leaning on the branch resting, hoping the other woman didn’t climb up there to get here. She wasn’t up for fighting her more for the next hours or so she knew. She needed rest and to adjust to this new life. Holding on to the branch, she let herself fall asleep as the backpack hung on the branch above her. A whisper escaped before she fully drifted off, “I wish I had a couple of snickers’ bars.”

* * *

As the weeks went by Emma quickly learned to adapt, both to it never being daylight, to always looking over her shoulder. She continued having her camp in the tree, hunting and to prepare meals form what she found around. She had also learned to stay away from Regina between the competitions, and she was slowly getting what she meant with the darkness getting to you.

The day before she had been lucky enough to win some more snickers bars in a contest, by managing to hold on high up on a pole for longer than Regina. The winnings usually showed up near her camp shortly after so she would find it. She knew Regina could easily steal it, but she didn’t just as she would never steal anything from the base. She took two of the six bars out from the hole in her tree that she used as a storage room and made her way to the base. She made sure Regina was out before she picked the lock on the door, which wasn’t all that hard, she used to pick locks when she was younger. Her parents sometimes locked her in the room as punishments for things she did wrong. Not that it helped, she always found a way out.

Standing there she looked at the main room she had seen more than once on TV: a living room table, a small kitchen, a couch, and a desk with some books and papers on. Books, how had they gotten there? Was it possible that Regina won books over food? Was that how she had gotten so much thinner since it first started? Emma walked over to look at them, some old classics and some lesbian romance novels. And what looked like a journal with some pens next to it. She didn’t open it thought, she never would. She was allowed to have her privacy after all.

“What the hell do you think you are doing?” she heard the other woman’s voice behind her. She had stayed a minute too long; she planned to get in and out fast.

“I was….I came by to give you these,” Emma held up the two bars. She could feel her cheeks burn as she did it, mostly from being caught there than anything else.

“Why would you do that?” Regina asked confused. This took her by surprise.

“Because I know how much you miss it. I figured I would try to win some and share. I did so here, I planned to leave them and then get back out. I don’t want to argue with you today,” Emma said, leaving them on the table and sneaking past her on the way out.

“Wait, please,” Regina said, making her turn.

“Yes?” Emma wondered, looking at her.

“Why don’t you stay the night…on the couch. I know it will rain, I learned to interpret the signs by now. I know you spent the night outside in the rain before and you probably have no problems with it, but maybe you would like to stay inside for a change. I can make us a meal of some kind?” Regina said, she was grasping for straws. She hated to admit how lonely she actually was.

“Okay, I can do that. Would you mind if I used the…bathroom?” Emma wondered curiously.

Regina shook her head and showed her further into the compound opening a door, showing a toilet and a shower. She took a breath, “You can use the shower if you want to, it is not a requirement of course. I…find you appealing as you are.”

Emma nodded as she slipped inside wondering how she should interpret that. She shook it out as she let out a sigh over finally being able to go to a somewhat regular toilet. She wondered how long she had been there; it could be everything from weeks to months. After all, what to her seemed like a couple of weeks could be longer. She could only calculate from knowing that on TV it was usually two competitions a week and they had six. It had probably been three weeks.

As she finished up, she looked at the shower, knowing the temptation was to big to resist. Having the hot water rinse her clean instead of the waterfall in the jungle made a moan escape her. She slowly cleaned herself up and used a towel before getting her clothes back on. She sighed of the fact they were overly dirty. She had been wearing the same clothes here for weeks since the day she went out with Ruby, and Regina found her appealing. How?

Was she that lonely and desperate? No that couldn’t be it. She had seen the way the other woman sometimes looked at her, she wanted her for sure the blonde knew. She dried her hair a bit more before walking back to the room she had first entered seeing Regina humming, preparing a meal. It smelled delicious whatever it was. Then again, she was starving. She hadn’t eaten much other than some fruits the past three days as she hadn’t spotted a deer or a rabbit for quite some time. She didn’t feel like fishing either.

“The…books, did you win them?” Emma dared asking.

“I had most of them on me when I got…taken,” the other woman answered with a sigh. She by now struggled a bit remembering her life before as it had been too long. It seemed like she had been here forever. And for what? She took another breath as she said, “I was teaching a class in English literature back then, comparing old love stories to never one with a different perspective. In addition, I brought my journal to show the variations of one written in a book and the one written for a personal use. I met my friend Ella after class and that is the last I remember.”

“You are a professor then?” Emma concluded from this as she sat down on the couch.

“I am many things, Emma. Is it alright I call you that?” she wondered. She had called her by her last name up to then.

“Well it is my name so I don’t see why not, your Majesty,” Emma said and winked to her.

The brunette rolled her eyes before she said, “As I said, I am many things or I used to be before this. Life outside seems…more like a memory. I was a daughter, a sister, a mother, a professor, a friend, a heir to the family business where I also worked. Now I am just a woman trying to survive this so I can get back out. But it feels not like victories anymore. It feels like each day takes me more and more apart from that world. I feel like I don’t know who or what I am anymore. If I ever get out, I don’t know how to explain for my son why I was away for so long, if he even remembers me. I can probably never go back to my work places after being here doing so much I wish I didn’t to survive. I just feel…lost.”

She turned her attention towards the stove. Emma could get it though, she felt that way for the most of her life, lost without feeling she really belonged. At least until she joined the police. She never felt at home with her family that wanted so much of her; she never felt at home against her then friends that got married and had families pushing her to do the same; she never felt at home when they went out for a payday beer as she rather stay at home and chill. She sometimes wondered who she was when it came to everything. What did she really want? And where did she belong?

“I…know the feeling in general, being lost,” she managed to get out.

Regina nodded not speaking, wondering why she felt so drawn to this woman she hardly knew. She knew she was strong and resilient- more than most she had encountered here. She was wise too she somehow knew, having managed to crack the knowledge tests more than once. Tilting her head the brunette looked at her asking, “No beau waiting for you outside either?”

“Nah, I devoted myself to work,” Emma shrugged with a half-smile.

“I know that feeling, and imagine how hard it is dating with a three-year old. I mean four-year old. I missed his birthday being here,” she whispered, A tear running down her cheek. She hadn’t even wanted to do something like this. Damn Ella!

“Then let’s celebrate it tonight,” Emma said and she got up.

“How?” the brunette wondered confused.

Emma went through the closet without her objecting much, through the drawers too, finding a cupcake mix and ingredients needed to make it. She then went to the desk saying, “What is the name of your boy?”

“Henry, his name is Henry after dad,” she said with a heavy sigh.

“Alright, you bake the cake and I will fix this. You don’t mind, do you?” Emma wondered, looking at her. She saw the other woman shake her head and used some of the papers to make a banner saying, “Happy Birthday, Henry,” and hung it in the ceiling. She also made a birthday card with a picture of a young boy and some superheroes next to him. From the corner of her eye she watched as Regina finished to food and placed it on the table and started on the cupcakes. As soon as they were in the oven she said, “Please eat, Emma.”

The blonde put the card away and sat down, helping herself with a meat stew and some bread. She saw the brunette do the same. She nodded for her to take a bite and Emma did, letting out a sigh of delight. This was heaven in a bowl, she concluded. The brunette smiled pleased by this as she started to eat. They continued their meal in peace, only interrupted by the cupcakes haven to be taken out. The blonde helped to clear the dishes and put the remains of the dish in the fridge just as heavy rain started to crash down outside. She again sat down at the couch, this time with the card.

Regina soon joined her with a tray of cupcakes. She looked at the card, impressed, grasping a pen and signing next to Emma whispering, “Happy birthday, my baby boy. I hope granny and gramps are celebrating big with you wherever you are.”

“Happy birthday little man, your mama will be home with you in no time,” Emma said as she helped herself with one of the cupcakes.

Regina did the same, placing the plate next to her. Tears in her eyes now as she missed her little boy so. Her heart was truly aching. Emma got up and took her hand whispering, “Don’t let them see your tears. Where is the bedroom?”

The brunette nodded as she took Emma’s hand leading her there. Once inside she locked the door, knowing that even if there was no camera there it was still a microphone the producers used as they pleased. As if Emma read her mind, she somehow managed to find what she had been looking for forever and removed it. The blonde took it outside and place somewhat down the hallway before coming back in. She looked at the brunette as for directions as to what she wanted.

Regina looked at her confused eyes, trying to make sense of this woman. She had yet to figure her out completely, even if she had learned some as Emma had beaten her in some of the battles in there. She assumed she had been there with her for at least some weeks. Emma had yet to win enough points to gain access to the compound though, still she had won some attributes clearly. And opposite her twenty-two prior men and woman she wanted to share those with her. Not only that she clearly had been given what Regina wanted the most. To top it off she had removed a recording device Regina had tried to find fore ages with ease. Almost like she knew where to look without thinking. Why would she help her like this when she didn’t even know her? It just didn’t make sense.

Unless? She took a deep breath, “Are you helping me to get into my pants?”

“What? Oh…no if I wanted to do that there are easier ways. I was just trying to be nice. You mentioned the snickers bars on my first night here so…” Emma shrugged. A deep breath, “Listen I know we’re are in competition and all, that they want us to be, but you have been here for so long maybe you could for a change nee d a friend in between. I promise I won’t give you an advantage in the competitions. We win fair and square based on our strengths. But if you need someone to talk to…I don’t think we are so different. I’ll be in the living room of there is anything as I don’t wanna push your boundaries.”

With that she slowly walked back to the living room area, she kicked of her booths and fluffed a pillow laying down there. Resting, it felt nice laying on a comfy couch instead of a hard branch if it only was for one night. She suddenly felt the exhaustion of the past weeks roll over her and soon fell fast asleep clinging to one of the other pillows as it was a stuffed animal of some kind.

* * *

That was how Regina found here coming out of the bedroom moments later. She sighed as she carefully spread a blanket over her, trying not to wake the sleeping blonde. She was strange this woman, unlike the rest. She didn’t try to beat her with mental games of combat. Of course, they had fought a little out there in the jungle, but it was more to show who was boss and for the fun of it than anything else. She took a deep breath watching her lying there in that dirty old top. What was once grey was now almost black. She knew she had a black leather jacket as well, up there in the tree.

She knew that she herself could never climb that high, not even if she wanted to. She didn’t feel comfortable that high up. Emma did though. She climbed that high with ease, it was almost as if she was a monkey. She didn’t seem to be troubled about living out there in the jungle at all. The brunette had though, in the beginning why she won the compound and fought so hard to keep it- a last strand of being someone needing a house. She grasped her journal and a pen and went back to her room. Upon leaving the living room area she even took one of the snickers bars.

Laying on the bed she gnawed on it, letting a moan escape her. It tasted as good as she remembered, if not even more so. She slowly wrote, “I can’t make sense of her, for someone that doesn’t know me wanting to give me what I desired the most. If you don’t count Henry. Oh how good these bars taste, and she saved them to give them to me! She could have asked for so many things: a flashlight, matches, a blanket, but she asked for these bars. And not even to use against me, but to give them freely as a gesture of kindness. I never had anything like that from anyone else in here. We gave and we took of each other, whether it was food or the lust of flesh. It all was so primal, animalistic, what we needed only. Oh how I fucked a couple of them, because I needed it, and I let them do the same to me.

The only one coming close to something beyond that, or so I thought, was Robin, but even he was a pawn in this game. He didn’t like me as I thought he did, and that was his downfall. He hurt me deeply. I won’t let that happen again.

I almost kissed her earlier tonight, for making my life a little easier, for letting me bring the memory of Henry alive. I miss him so. I wonder if he remembers me, what mom and dad tell him of where I am. My little boy. I long for him every night.

And for someone to hold me, to make me feel safe. Could she be that? Do that and make me feel safe?

I wish I had the courage to have her sleep in here, hold me… No I can’t ask that of her if we are going to be friends. I need to stay strong. I need to…win this so I can go home to him.

But it doesn’t hurt to dream does it? Dream that she could be in here, that she want to stay to not be alone.

* * *

Emma woke later that night, by a gruesome scream - one that made her heat stop. It was animalistic, wild, and it made the bones in her body chill. She sat up, wondering if it was a beast outside, ready to fight it, when she realized it came from inside of Regina’s room.

Her heat pounding as she found her knife on the floor, ready to battle whatever was in there. She walked quietly as a hunter sneaking up on a prey, quietly opening the door, her eyes getting used to the darkness. There was no one there, nothing but Regina. She was having a bad dream.

She was screaming and fighting whatever that was harming her deep within her dream. Did she do that ever night? Emma tried to recall. She remembered some conversations from in here, but nothing like this. Then again it would be good TV she figured. Another scream like the first, making the blood in her veins freeze. Then she started to hyperventilate.

The blonde closed the door behind her and quickly walked over to her. With fast steps, before she got in the bed. She dragged Regina close within her and whispered, “Shhh I got you. I will chase them away. You are safe.”

She felt her battling her, but the go quiet. Her breath steadied now as her arms wrapped around her by instinct holding on, before loosening, her rigid body relaxing. Emma dared to press a kiss into her dark strands, “That is it, my Queen. I got you, you can relax now.”

And she did, her breath and everything about her calmed down and soon she was sleeping peacefully against Emma. The blonde wanted to retract, but she couldn’t. She knew and so she settled, holding her still falling back to sleep as fast as she had on the couch. Feeling calm and at easy as she reached a deeper sleep than before.

* * *

Regina woke early the next morning by the horn. It was the most unpleasant sound in the world she concluded as she took a deep breath. It was only as she opened her eyes she found she was not alone, Emma was there, holding her close, sheltering her. She was sleeping peacefully still, but why was she there?

“E…Emma?” the brunette managed to get out, still not breaking from the embrace. It felt nice and comfortable. More so than she ever felt with anyone in years. She even smelt like…home?

It wasn’t until that moment she realized it. Of course she sensed it was something about her smell when they fought up close. It was more of sweat then, but it was also of something that aroused her, but this was different, like her body. Emma’s body gave off the fumes of safety. Of something she had long forgotten in another human being. She right then knew something she had long suspected when she first saw her in the forest; Emma would never ever hurt her intentionally.

She knew it that first day, when she shot an arrow after her and she didn’t try to shoot back. Regina knew she could have, she chose not to. Laying there close to her ignoring the alarm sound from outside, deep within this island, she dragged it in. The smell of grass, leaves, raspberry bushes, and her. The three first reminded her of where she used to live when she grew up. A place long forgotten. But the scent of Emma mixing into it she knew. She somehow knew she could never hurt her either, even if she had to and it saddened her. Because how could they get away from this horrid place if neither wanted to hurt the other.

“Emma?” she tried a little harder this time, seeing her green eyes suddenly flutter open. The alarm sounded louder and somehow angrier now. She didn’t want to go out there. For the first time since she arrived at this place, she wanted to ignore whatever challenge they wanted them to do.

“Morning. I am sorry if I was imposing. You had a bad dream and I wanted to calm you. I must have fallen asleep also, I can leave if you want me to…?” Emma said, also ignoring the horn from outside. She needed to know if the brunette was alright now.

“It is…alright. We should both leave. New assignment, but the thing is I don’t want to. I am so tired of it all,” she spoke. She didn’t want to break this perfect moment, their peace, and it made her feel so very lost just then.

“Then we stay. I mean what is the worst they can do if we refuse?” Emma wondered with a half-smile.

“You…don’t want to know, trust me,” Regina said as she managed to get up. She hated it, breaking free from her. Oh, how she hated it. She could easily tell the blonde did the same. Still, she did not object as she got up and headed for the exit faster than she could move. A tear running down Regina’s cheek now, knowing she couldn’t keep her or ask her to stay.

She found her boots and hurried out of there fast, taking a breath as she ran towards the sound of the horn. Her heart wasn’t in it today. For the first time since she came there, her heat wasn’t in it, and she hated herself for it. She shoot it off as she knew her mind at least had to be in it to focused and pushed the feeling of her heat aside as she caught up with Emma. She had to win this, she knew, no matter the cost.

* * *

Regina didn’t even have time to think as Emma tossed her against the three, an arm on her throat, fire in her eyes. The brunette’s eyes widened a little, more because she was caught by surprise than any thing else. She, over the past six months, had learned that Emma also could have a temper and clearly told her enough was enough, or when she got too close to her boundaries. She however wasn’t aware she had done either right now.

She had beaten her fair and square in the contest of the day. Both had lay on the back, their legs partly up so a pipe rested over their legs, a water bucket on each side. You were supposed to hold it as long as possible. She had looked over at Emma once in a while to make sure that she was leading in case the other woman buckled under before her. She had almost done so when Emma did fully. She couldn’t even understand why she was so upset.

“Emma?” she said, her voice strained as the other woman was partly blocked her airways now.

“That was so not fair play and you know it!” Emma snarled at her.

“I am sorry?” Regina wondered confused.

“You made me lose focus, on purpose nonetheless,” Emma was still snarling at her.

“What on earth are you talking about?” the brunette finally managed to break free, pushing her off.

“I saw the way you looked at me, Regina. You could barely hold it together any longer. You are having more nightmares, aren’t you? You haven’t slept much lately?” Emma said frustrated.

“I was not, and if I did it isn’t any to you. You choose the tree so you lost the right to care about me. You are just like the rest, now if you would excuse me,” said Regina tiredly. She pushed her aside so she could walk back to the compound.

Emma was quicker, stopping her, leaning to whisper in her ear so the microphones couldn’t catch it. “I am up in the tree every night because I would get too involved if I didn’t. Like that night back then when I spent the night. I was afraid that if I stayed it would get more personal and it would compromise everything. Because I care for you, Regina and I don’t…want to hurt you like the others have. I know we have to at some point you know because that is how it goes, but right now, for now I can’t do that, because….I am sorry I got upset with you, I just hate to see you this tired.”

Regina nodded and took in her words, after that night when they celebrated Henry’s birthday, they had hardly had any interactions at all, which made her ache more for the blonde every day. She wanted to be closer to her, kiss her, and even go further with her. She took a breath as she whispered, “And I…don’t have a say in this? If I wanted to be with you, because I do Emma, no matter the consequences. I don’t care what happens at the end as long as I can be with you, if only for a little while.”

“I…” she was lost on words. Every inch of her screamed for her to kiss her, but instead she ran, angry tears running down her face. She couldn’t do this to her, to them. Fall in love and then… Damn it. If they had met any place else.

She soon reached her tree and climbed all the way up there, almost to the top, resting on her branch, tears flowing steady now. Why did it hurt so much, to see her that tired, to deny herself to comfort her due to the cameras? She wondered what would happen if she jumped in the dreaded lake of her own free will. She had been tempted to do it to let Regina win. Or to make the producers take her out of it. She fucking deserved it, for this to end. To see her baby boy. To get back to her life, if that was even possible after this. Then again, if she did that they would most likely only put in the next one and the next one and so she would never be free.

More tears in her eyes as she realized it would be now way out, no matter how she turned it. Startling as she heard movement on the tree trunk and quickly held her knife at the ready in case it was a jungle cat or something else. She had seen a couple around there once or twice. To her surprise she saw it was the brunette making her way up, which was rather remarkable as she hated highs.

The blonde put her knife away as she asked, “What are you doing up here?”

“Well if that is what it takes to be with you, I have no choice but to climb,” she said, shrugging as she came to sit on a sturdy branch not far from Emma. She was shivering lightly with fright.

“You are amazing, you know that,” Emma beamed at her now, how could she think anything else.

“Yes well…” the brunette shrugged it off like it was nothing.

“You are! Are you hungry or thirsty?” the blonde wondered calmly.

“A little of both,” Regina answered truthfully.

“Hang on,” Emma said, climbing up a bit further and removing a piece of tarpaulin from a hole and let her hand reach in to find a holed out coconut containing water, a banana like fruit and a snickers bar. She gently carried it at she climbed down to Regina handing it over. The brunette ate and drank before she concluded, “It is the best meal I had in ages, you really made something here.”

“I have, if you want you can spend the night? I can secure the three so you won’t fall down,” Emma tried calmly.

“I…would like that,” Regina said with a sigh. She wasn’t up for climbing back down yet. Maybe not at all as up was one thing, but down was quite another. 

Emma nodded sensing the brunette was not all conformable, She quickly mounted a safety net she made herself in the beginning there underneath her branch, making it safe for the other woman to fall off in her sleep if she did. She then went to sit next to her pulling her close, tears in her eyes now. A faint whisper in the early evening, “It is painful how much I want to be with you, how attracted I am to you.”

Regina didn’t answer to this, instead she let her hands let go of the branch, only to cup Emma’s cheeks kissing her. It was long overdue, she knew. She should have done it that night so many weeks back. She noticed how the other woman eased into it, adding a little tongue, not wanting to let it break. So there they sat high up under the many branches, kissing each other.

Regina felt her heart tingle, almost like when she had her first kiss many years ago. And just like back then, a shy blush spread across her face as she broke it. She saw the blonde blush as well, looking at her most stunned. A smile spread across her face as she whispered, “I can’t believe I just got kissed by the Queen of Darkness.”

Regina rolled her eyes, feeling like the wind was knocked out of her. She looked away as she whispered, “I am not all that. I am quite ordinary, you know. But that is all they will see me as when I get out.”

“Hey,” Emma turned her face so she was looking at her whispering, “I was only teasing you, you know. I don’t see you as that, I know you did all that because you had to. You simply did it to survive and you still do. Did anyone in here tell you how beautiful you are?”

“I...look like a mess. I might have been beautiful before I got in here, but…” she let her cheek rest in Emma’s hand, feeling lost in her green eyes. Again she blushed. There was something about her compliments that were so sincere. She wasn’t lying to get her way like Mallory, Robin, Olivia and Graham. To be fair she used them as well, but not Emma. She could never use her.

Again she leaned in, kissing her. Not because she had to to get something from her, but because she wanted to. She wanted to be with her. She wanted to have her close, she wanted to kiss her, she wanted to consume her and be consumed by her. As the kiss slowly broke, she felt flutters. She got closer so she could rest her head against Emma’s chest. She felt how the blonde held her, stroking her back gently, and she felt safe. She never thought she could this high up, but she was, as there was no way this blonde would let her fall. She let her eyes close, letting herself relax to the fast drumming of that strong heart. Soon she found herself sleeping, holding on to her.

Emma simply sat there, holding her, not having the need to go anywhere or do anything. She only to desired to be here underneath these tree crowns with her Queen. Because she at that moment knew that was what Regina was, hers.

These kisses weren’t a part of the game she had seen on TV. These were real. She wanted her, for real. This was more than just a tactical game, because the brunette that slept in her arms loved her. That much was certain. She wondered what would happen when this ended. If it did, would they still be together on the outside? She really hoped so, because she knew in that very second she couldn’t picture herself without Regina Mills. It was only then she realized she had fell in love with her. Maybe not at first, but slowly over what she assumed had been the past six months they had been in there.

Were people was cheering for them on the outside? Who was they cheering for? Her or Regina or both? A tear ran down her cheek, falling into that brown short hair as she wondered how long this game could go on, how long would they keep them here if they refused to throw each other into the lake? Would she be here forever and ever like Regina felt she had?

Regina deserved better, Emma knew. She deserved to be with her son and her family. A deep breath as she whispered in a soft tone, “All I needed was the love you gave, all I needed for another day, and all I ever knew only you.”

More tears falling onto the other woman slowly waking her. She didn’t ask anything it was like she read her mind. She didn’t ask anything. She simply just kissed her. The brunette’s lips pressed against hers hard to make her forget, for her to stop thinking. For them to ignore the world watching them as they did it. As she kiss broke she held her close, “I will never leave you no matter what happens.”

“I won’t leave you either,” Emma whispered. What a foolish promise to make on this nightmarish island. You could never know what showed up the next day, you could never know if you made it through the night as the thoughts sometimes drove you beyond insanity. The whispering voices from deep inside that told Emma she could never win this, that she was a loser and not strong enough. She in her silent mind pictured how her friends were taunting her on the outside and cheering for Regina instead. Because she was nothing compared to her. How could she possibly think that she would ever win this? More tears fell down her cheeks now, rapidly.

Regina kissed her again and again, and she kissed her back with all she had, moaning into it, wanting her even more. A raw, animalistic desire feeling herself grinding against the tree trunk they were sitting on in the process. She felt Regina remove her top and broke to kiss to let her remove it fully. She lay it on a nearby branch along with her bra, then removed the same items of clothing on the brunette after getting a nod that it was alright. She smiled at her as she gently cupped her breasts, getting her to lean into her grasp moaning. She felt how the other woman did the same with her. A moan escaping her then as she knew it had been too long for someone to even come near her.

The blonde carefully stood, giving Regina a look to trust her. She had her against the trunk, also stranding, pushing their pants down, then carefully lifting her a little, making sure her hand go to cup her sex from behind as she locked around her waist. She moaned gently against her, her hands grasping onto Emma’s back pulling her closer, moving against her, feeling her inside her as she moving somehow alongside her, moaning sucking lightly on her neck. She moaned louder as Emma picked up the pace and went faster on her, her fingers getting deeper in. It didn’t take them long to get there. Emma made sure she didn’t fall as they were shaking against each other and the tree trunk before sinking back down on the branch.

“I…hope they didn’t film that,” Emma managed to get out between the panting.

“I don’t see why they wouldn’t if they filmed everything else,” Regina shrugged. She had no privacy here she knew.

“No regrets?” Emma whispered, gently kissing her cheek.

“No regrets,” she nodded, knowing her fate was sealed then. She wanted this woman, all of her, every inch, every fiber, every thought. She wanted to have her for as long as she could in here and hopefully in the outside world as well. Looking into her eyes she knew Emma most likely felt the same way. She didn’t speak; just kissed her tenderly. People could watch if they wanted to, she didn’t care anymore. She was simply to tired to care and so used it by then. By now most of the country probably had seen her naked. She knew she was no longer clean-shaven downstairs or the legs if you zoomed in. She did her arms still though, in the shower with her hunting knife. The other things she just didn’t bother. It didn’t matter, as long as she was there.

“Tell me about him?” Emma whispered softly.

“Who?” Regina wondered confused, resting her head against her shoulder.

“Your little boy, if you were at home now what would you two be doing?” Emma wondering, letting her hand trail along her side.

“Since I don’t have any time aspect in this never-ending darkness I just have to assume it is sometime in the afternoon. I would pick him up from kindergarten, having him tell me about his day as I drove to our house. He would run towards me and hug me when I got there, smiling. I miss that, his smile, whenever he saw me. I don’t even know if he would remember me,” a deep sigh.

Was he still looking partly the same? Did her parents watch this show? And what would they think of her behavior? Did they let him watch telling him, ‘There is mama!’ And if so, would he even understand? Did Ella watch this? Was she the one that signed her up for it? And did she regret it seeing how far it had gotten and how long she had been there? Did anyone try to get her out of there back home?

She shook her head knowing it was most likely no use even if they tried as she was still in here. In this fucking jungle where there was never any light of day. A scream sounded from inside the jungle- A wild beast on the hunt no doubt. She by now was used to the screams, only not this close as she usually curled up inside at this hour. A shiver went through her as Emma held her tighter now. She would never let her go, she knew. A deep breath as she continued, “I would prepare dinner while he would be playing with his toys close by or drawing by the kitchen table. It just us, always have been. My parents and my sister have helped out from time to time, but mostly just us.”

“I wasn’t going to ask, but I find that admirable. I…always planned to get a dog, but the hours are sometimes crazy so…” Emma trailed off. She just figured she would get one if she retired in the future.

“I am not opposed to having a dog. In any case we would eat dinner together, then watch a little TV or a movie then I would put him to bed and work on the computer, watch more TV or read then go to bed,” she concluded.

Emma nodded, “I take it you don’t play the dating game either then?”

“No, no time. What you…have seen in here…loneliness drives you insane,” she concluded.

“I can get that. I would probably do the same if I were in your shoes,” Emma admitted, pressing a kiss into her hair.

“You…this is different though,” Regina’s voice was merely a whisper now.

“I know…” Emma responded, her heart was beating fast as she whispered, “Let us go somewhere.”

“Now or on the outside?” the brunette asked confused.

“Both, but I was thinking now,” Emma said lazily.

Regina nodded as Emma was grasping for her shorts and top. She didn’t bother with her underwear for a change. What was the point her clothes at this point? They were almost not holding themselves together being there for so long. It really bothered her that she was not provided with more clothes by the time she was there. As if Emma read her mind, she pressed a kiss to her cheek saying, “I will get you so many clothes when we get out of here.”

The brunette nodded with a soft smile as she waited for Emma to lead her down, making sure her hunting knife was attached to the side of her shorts. The blonde had the saber over her shoulder as she climbed down skillfully, helping her love down the trunk. Once it was done, she took her hand leading her through the jungle. The brunette trusted her blindly, but kept looking around for predators just in case. They went further and further inside the jungle until they came to a waterfall that ran into a smaller lake. Regina knew that the water from that lake ran as a small river towards the black lake. Emma sat down by the bank, motioning for her to do the same, which she did. She leaned close to her, looking at the water, moving slow and steady whispering, “Hakuna Matata.”

“Mmm,” Emma nodded in agreement. She had the same feeling at this point in the jungle. It almost felt like the place the young lion had lived with his two best friends for some time. It gave her some peace of mind coming here from to time.

“If you could talk to Henry what would you tell him right now?” Emma wondered, looking at the waterfall with calm eyes.

“That would be hard. I would tell him that I am so sorry I got stuck in this mess and that I will do my best to get back to him. That he is my hero that keeps me alive in here- the thought of seeing him one day. But also that it makes me sad that I can’t be with him, because I miss him so much it makes my heart break. I hope you are good to granny and grandpa Henry, and that they are good to you. I know, granny can be a bit strict, but she means well. Be sure to sing to her if she seems troubled or tired she likes that. And please don’t get in her way if she tells you not to. Daddy, if you see this, if you are listening I miss you so very much, and I wish I was stronger like you are. I try every day, but it is so hard, so very hard. Please can you and mom pray for me to come home in one piece and take care of each other and give Lena and Robin a big hug from me,” tears in her eyes now as she looked at Emma. She hugged her tight, holding her close, letting her cry. The blonde was sure every camera was on them now and that this would hit every net source and paper by morning if it was night now.

She couldn’t be sure, of course, because she wasn’t sure what was shown on TV and in what order. Still Emma took a deep breath as she said, “Mister and Misses Mills you do not know me and I do not know you, but I look forward to meet you on the other side. Because we will make it, both of us and I do intend to marry your daughter if it is the last thing I do. I promise I will do my best to keep her safe in this messed- up place we are in as I know she does with me. Don’t worry. It will be alright. I can hardly wait to meet the two of you and the rest of her family. Henry if you see this, stay strong as the hero we know you are. You are such a good boy and your mom is so very proud of you and she loves you so very much.”

Regina looked at Emma in amazement whispering, “You speak big words, Swan. You better keep to them.”

“I intend to if you will have me,” she shrugged with a half-smile.

“I don’t see why not,” she whispered with a soft smile, pressing a kiss to her lips.

Emma kissed her back before she beamed at her, whispering, “You feel like climbing up and jumping down the waterfall?”

Regina shrugged. She still followed climbing to the top and jumping down ease, seeing Emma dive down next to her. She felt the water consume her, as the blonde took her hand dragging her behind the mightily waterfall, into a cave behind her. They huddled up on the rocks behind it, giggling as they looked into each others eyes. The brunette yawned as they lay down on the cold ground, entwined into each other, slowly falling asleep, caressing each other gently.

* * *

Regina knew her strength was fading, and she would lose this contest any day now. Even if Emma, for the past time, had kept her promise and kept her safe after that night by the waterfall. Her will to go on was slowly lacking. She was missing her son more and more for each day. She felt torn with seeing him and battling the woman she came to love more for each that went by. That day’s contest had been brutal. Both had to dive into the se to get contents from a chest. She had lost. In the end, the lack of air had made it so she had to go up.

Regina was angry with herself. She had swam ashore and locked herself into the compound that now felt more than a prison than anything else. Emma had sneaked in a couple of nights and helped her through her nightmares, but she didn’t dare to do it all the time, afraid of the consequences. She found herself hitting the wall until her knuckles bleed, angry tears running down her face. She reached her limit she knew, she truly had.

Emma broke up the door moments later, bandaging her up and they had fought. Regina had slowly settled in her arms as so many times before, before she had kissed her hard without mercy for some time. As the kiss broke more tears of anger had followed her first, and she had clung to her. This time they had both been crying until Regina could calm down. She held onto the blonde long after that, shivering ever so lightly. She didn’t know what to do anymore, she just wanted this to end even if the thought of the outside world scared her now. She had almost forgotten how to function out there now. She hated to admit that in an age of thirty-nine she wanted nothing more than to curl up on her mother’s lap. She didn’t feel like a survivor anymore. She didn’t feel strong. She just felt broken. Slowly she fell asleep in Emma’s grasp, feeling safe if only until the next nightmare.

The blonde held her tight even long after she fell asleep, not even able to blame Regina for going off the handles. She had been in there for too long, she knew, and these games were getting more and more inhumane. She knew her nightmares were coming more repeatedly also. The voices in her head were driving her more and more insane. She even contemplated of making a boat to get off this island, but since she had no idea how far she had to paddle, she didn’t know if it was a good plan.

Emma startled, seeing two shining green eyes in the doorway. She only realized too late she had forgotten to close it. One of the ferocious beasts was snarling at her making her jump to her feet, their eyes twinkled of green emeralds, their fur orange whit black stripes and spots. She could see how they muscles of this big cat moved alongside it as it thread towards her with its teeth grid.

Regina woke and was on her feet as well seeing the blonde battling one of the beasts getting out only to see two more appear. The two were going at her, one barring its teeth, trying to bit her. The other hitting her with its giant paw, making three nice scratch marks on her arms.

She screamed in surprise as much as pain, using her knife to stick the eyes out on one of then, before she started to run. She knew she had to try to outrun them, making sure to run in a zig, zag pattern, hard and fast. The brunette knew that if they caught up she could risk ending up as their dinner and she continued to run, even if her chest started to hurt.

* * *

She looked back seeing they were on her tail. ‘Just run’, then get high in a tree she told herself, using what she had left of powers to try to outrun these two big cats that wanted her for a meal. She knew a couple of contestants fell prey for them, or so she assumed not seen their bodies after. She startled seeing the road ahead her stop at an edge, she needed to jump counting on survival or fight the two striped cats coming closer, grid their teeth. A third one with deep wounds in its side coming up behind them, it snarled as well.

Regina looked at them, seeing the one with a bleeding eye, the one she wounded. It was not happy as it stood inches from her, judging her. Seeing if she would give up the fight. His huge paw went up to hit her and at that moment Regina knew she had only once choice.

A deep breath as she jumped into the leaves and darkness ahead, feeling pan as she hit a water surface hard. She gasped as it was dragging her down, it was then she knew, she was in The Black Lake. No, she was not dying, not now, not knowing if her love was alright. She battled like never before against the suction, somehow managing to get up on the shore side on the other side passing out. Her body lying there limp unable to move from the effort.

* * *

Emma that was not far behind the cats hid out of view until they were gone. She saw them pad away tail between their legs, not long after hearing the splash making her heart stop. No this couldn’t be it. It couldn’t be that she was gone. She couldn’t be left here alone. Still, she knew she was, knowing that beyond where her love had jumped lay The Black Lake.

“Regina!” she called out, climbing down. But there was no answer. She only saw the black water lying there quiet, deep, taunting her. Quiet much like a grave, a shiver ran through her then.

“Regina!” she called out again, falling to her knees, tears in her eyes. No this couldn’t happen, not now. She tried to look around the water from where she stood, but the lake was too big, and it was too long for her to see fully around and she was too tired to go around it. With a sinking heart, she made her way back to the compound and locked it up properly. Now all she could do was wait for the next contestant to arrive.

* * *

And so the blonde waited for someone to come, knowing they usually was there the next day or in her case night, as it was forever night. Only no one came. Emma climbed up in her three waiting to hear sounds of anyone coming, but there was no one, nothing. It was quiet as a grave, not and animal, no birds, nothing.

She continued to mark the tree as if it was counting on how long she had been there. It was hard thought since it was never any daylight in there. She and Regina had a system to tell when it was day and night, as there was usually stars and moon high above them from time to time. How they managed to make it that dark when it was daytime, Emma didn’t know and she didn’t care to know either. Still, she and Regina knew by the stars the compound were northwest on the island and her three a bit further west. Whereas The Black Lake was southwest, the waterfall was in the east and there were good hunting grounds in the southeast. 

They shared this information with each other making it easier on both of them. They had communicated in other ways than words, so the cameras didn’t capture it and the production company didn’t get they were helping each other. She felt her heart break by the thought of Regina being gone forever, her strong warrior woman. She had seen her strength fade lately, slowly day by day since that evening by the waterfall, and she had told her that it was alright.

Tears in her eyes as she screamed, “Is this what you wanted, to drive her insane? To drive me insane by longing? To have people care about each other then tear them apart? To torture people of your entertainment? You know what? Screw you all! I am so done with this shit! I refuse to do this anymore, I am going to stay here until I die from starvation or I fall down.”

As she looked up at the stars she wondered why she had been so stupid as to fall in love with Regina Mills. More tears as she whispered, “Sometimes when I think of her name, when it is only a game and I need you. Listen to the words that you say, it’s getting harder to stay when I see you.”

She needed her, she knew. she needed her Regina and right then, she made a promise to herself. She would give it some more nights and if no one showed up she would jump in The Black Lake and join her on the other side. She closed her eyes and slowly fell asleep, forcing herself to do that.

For the next days the blonde ignored every message the speakers gave and that her body needed nurture, to her it didn’t matter anymore. All that mattered was the brunette, and she saw her every time she closed her eyes, which made everything alright. She tended to close her eyes to pretend she was talking to her, making her feel less alone there. She from time to time took a sip of water, but that was all. She was too tired to hunt, and right now she didn’t care either. She took a deep breath as the took her water cup and slid down to go to the waterfall for some more water.

She soon knelt down beside it, fulling the coconut cup to fill it and take a sip, only to hear movement in the bushes. She turned saber, ready to fight whatever came through, her mind on alert as she held her breath. She saw a hand first, ready to kill whatever contestant daring to step into her and Regina’s sanctum. She put the saber away, exchanging it for bow and arrow, then she cocked the arrow ready to let it go at whoever stepped out of the bushes. It was faster to kill with an arrow if an opponent was bigger and stronger than herself.

Her jaw and bow dropped it equally when she saw it was Regina coming through the bushes, bruised and beaten. The blonde made it over to her, capturing her as she fell, she whispered, “How?”

“I refused to leave you behind. Either both jump or no one do,” Regina whispered tiredly. She had used what she could muster of strength the past days to find her way back to her love. She held on now only by a tread as she whispered, “Take me there please, and go in the water with me.”

“Of course, anything you want my love,” Emma whispered, kissing her cheek. She carefully lifted her up in her arms and walked towards The Black Lake with determination. Fuck the rules. Fuck this show. Fuck if they died from this. Regina deserved so much better she knew and so she carried her there and threaded into the water, holding her close, sheltering her as the water consumed them. She didn’t care what happened next, only that Regina was not alone when she woke. If they woke. And so she held her tight as the water consumed them and they got sucked down.


	2. Life on the outside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happened to Regina and Emma when they finally made it out.

**_On The Outside_** **_– Finally Free_**

Regina slowly opened her eyes, adjusting to the light very slowly, figuring she was glad the light in the room she was in was a bit dimmer than what it would be outside. Looking around she soon found herself in a hospital bed with Emma, knowing it was over. She wasn’t at the island, she and Emma had made it out. They really made it and she would never have to do more task again. A deep breath of relief as she curled up closer and closed her eyes, allowing herself to sleep peacefully within her grasp. Even in her sleep and with wires attached to them she felt Emma tighten her grip around her. She was safe and it was because Emma kept her word.

* * *

It would take them another three days before they woke up fully. Emma sat up in the bed, still holding her love close making sure she was alright. She got a nod in return. She had finally managed to have her eyes adjusted to the light surrounding them. During the past couple of days she had woken on and off having her eyes open a little by little, as it was a big change for her to be back where it was light. Now she looked around the hospital room seeing Ruby, and a few of her fellow cops, what she assumed was Regina’s friend Ella, her son and what she assumed to be her parents sleeping on chairs around.

Emma gasped and her eyes widened as she whispered, “That…that woman is your mother?”

“Yes, why, please don’t tell me you had an encounter with her before moving inside?” Regina said with a sigh. She knew her mother could be harsh if someone crossed ways with her and they did not agree with her. She just hoped Emma wasn’t one of them. 

“No…I did not. Remember I said it was a female running for president this term. She is your mother,” Emma whispered, still in shock.

“She didn’t just run. She won!” she heard Ruby’s voice. Clearly the other brunette woke by them talking, or she hadn’t slept fully only, rested. Emma tilted her head and looked at her asking, “How did you get here? How did we get here?”

“You didn’t know this, no one knew, but when you jump into The Black Lake, it is the exit back here. Well not here, but to the regular world. The only reason knew is the other contestants signed a silence agreement going out. Until now, man, you should know the big mess you two caused,” said Ruby with a grin.

“Yes, it has been a turmoil,” Regina heard Ella say from the other side.

“I am sorry, I don’t understand?” the brunette said confused.

“Well firstly no one ever expected you would stay in there for that long, and I am so sorry for all you had to go through. I thought signing you up would teach you other aspects in life. Anyway, when Emma entered, the viewers started to cheer for the two of you. More than they ever cheered for anyone you had been before you. But it really topped itself with Henry’s birthday, and there is this online group that started to fight to get you out of there, saying it is not humane and that you shouldn’t be there anymore. The TV company argued they had right on their sides and it was good entertainment as the viewers shot through the roof,” said she with a deep sigh.

“Then it was the night in the tree. And, for the first time ever they didn’t show any of it. Just a little before and after, but it was the scene at the lake that made the difference. The way you were with each other than even melted the hearts of those who shipped you with anyone else, Regina, because that was genuine, and we knew it was real. You should be there anymore. No one should. There were so many rallies. Heck, even your mother tried to reason with them. Then you got in the lake by accident, but you refused to leave without Emma,” Ruby said excited.

“The strength you had to claw and fight your way back to her spoke volumes, and people were watching in the edge of their seats. Even I was holding my breath then. But you made it back to her and she made sure you both got out. You are free, finally,” Ella said, tears in her eyes as she beamed at her friend.

Regina nodded quietly, not knowing what to say as she looked over at her mother. Ella made a gesture, making Ruby and the rest follow her out, leaving only Regina’s parents behind. Emma hugged her tight, knowing there was no way her love could get out of bed and over there on her own. Tubes attached to them both also prevented such actions. 

A weak whisper escaped her lips as her tears started to fall. One single word that was enough to wake the sleeping woman in her chair, “Mommy.”

The older woman rose to her feed and made her way over, hugging her daughter tight, letting her cry as she cried alongside her. Emma somehow managed to get a bit to the side of the bed giving them some space. To that degree it was possible considering they were in the same bed with wires attached. She watched how Regina clung to her mother, crying like she was a younger girl, despite the fact both were now adults.

A sting in her heart as she wished that her parents was there as well. Surely by now someone had contacted them. But that would be too much to ask wouldn’t it? After all she had not spoken to them in years. The last was the Christmas when she was twenty, to wish them a merry Christmas, she had asked if she and her then girl Molly could come home and celebrate it with them. They had told her she was more than welcome, but Molly was not. Knowing that, and they did not approve with her career within the police, the blonde had cut all ties there and then. They had her number, but they never called. They knew where she lived, but they never came to visit. She wished they had bothered more like Regina’s, that they where here, but they didn’t. They simply only cared about her bother, the golden boy. Looking over at Regina and her mother, it stung deep within. 

Because she never had this, a family that fought for her- if you didn’t count the ones at the station. No mother or father that worried about her or made sure she was alright. No children, not like Regina had. She took a deep breath now wishing they weren’t in the same bed, the same room, that she could curl up alone without the searing pain deep inside.

Henry, Regina’s father, that by now had woken as well looked at his wife holding their daughter and the other woman sitting next to them. Her arms around her body, quiet tears falling from her eyes. For the past three days she had been there, he noticed that she had no one come for her other than her fellow officers. Surely this extraordinary woman that made sure his own baby girl was alright in there had to have a family as well. Slowly he got up from his seat and went over to his wife, tapping her on the shoulder, exchanging a gaze with her, getting a nod. Slowly he approached the blonde, asking, “Miss Swan, do you have any family I should call?”

“I…No sir. I haven’t spoken to them in fifteen years. If they saw this, they would know I was out, but they are not here. They know my number and where I lived for years. They don’t call or stop by. They do not approve of my lifestyle and life-choices. The ones I consider my family are the ones you saw in here,” she answered, feeling a lump in her throat.

“I see. If you don’t mind could I get their number still. I know you are an adult and you have managed without them and will continue to do so. Still I would like to give them a piece of my mind. Someone should,” he said in a serious tone.

“If you have something to write on. But you don’t need to do so, sir,” she said with a heavy sigh. She didn’t want to be a bother.

He handed over his phone and she typed in the number of her father. She was sure he hadn’t changed it in the last decade. He was the safest to talk to, she figured. A deep breath as she said, “That is the number of my father. His name is David James Nolan. But there is really no need.”

“I know, dear. I won’t ask him for anything. But being a part of our family you will learn we fend for our own. He did not treat your right and someone ought to tell him so,” he said and winked at her.

“Your family, sir?” she asked, confused.

“Yes, Emma. We heard you. You wished to marry our daughter in there and if you still do you have our blessing. You both cared deeply for each other as far as I can see, so, if you two still wish to be together, we won’t stand in your way. I have nothing but the deepest respect for you and I would be very proud to have you as a daughter-in-law,” he said in a soft tone.

Tears in Emma’s eyes now as she started to sob, managing to get out, “I did only what anyone else would do in my situation, sir.”

He put down his phone and pulled her into his grasp, holding her tight, knowing he owned her the life of his little girl. She held on to him what she could muster. This man that welcomed her into his family with open arms. She couldn’t find words to tell him what that meant.

They got interrupted by the doctor that needed to check on them now that they were awake, making Regina’s parents leave the room with a promised to be back later. After he did what was needed of checks, he made sure that a nurse came with a proper meal that they ate in silence. Once they finished, Emma said, “Your father, he doesn’t really need to call mine, you know. It feels very high school.”

“Be glad it is not mother calling, then he would come crawling here to ask of forgiveness. He will just tell him what he thinks of his parenting and tell him that he should either get it together or never show up again,” Regina said in a soft tone.

“I…have nothing to say to them, even if they showed up. I just can’t start over like nothing happened. It would simply be too hard,” she took a deep breath now.

“I can understand that and no one is asking you to that, at least not yet. Daddy is just going to talk to him, that is all. Please don’t worry about that,” Regina said with a soft sigh.

She took another breath getting out of bed and taking the IV with her to the bathroom. The nurses had removed their other tubes earlier that evening. Emma slowly got out of bed as she heard a familiar ring - her phone. She found it along with some of her clothes on the other side of the room. It was a notation from a Facebook messenger app, her brother. She looked at his picture. He was smiling with what she could only assume was friends. All grown up now, and she had missed every part of it. Still she read the message: Hi bigsis, ‘been watching you on TV and knew you’ve gotten out. It was only seeing you in there that I realized how much I missed you. I know we are all grown up now, but maybe we could catch up. I don’t live at home, haven’t for some time now, to be honest. I thought about looking you up for some time now, but I wasn’t sure if you wanted to talk to me. Still this is me reaching out.

I hope you are alright. I am not sure if you are in a hospital or where you live, and I totally get if you don’t wanna see me. It is up to you, of course. I still hope you would do like too as I’ve missed you, and I did not agree with what mom and dad did. Anyways, gotto go, you know, work. Shot me a message if you wanna see me. If not, I get it. Love you always, bigsis.”

She read it again as more tears fell. Her little brother wanted to see her. She’d almost suppressed the memory of him. He was only nine the last time she saw him. What was he now? Twenty-six she quickly calculated. Was he married? Did he have a girlfriend of a boyfriend? Did he have kids of his own?

More tears started to fall, over not letting herself be a part of his life, of leaving him behind. Looking at the message again, she started to cry harder. She should have been there more for him, she knew. Now it would possibly be too late to take any part in his life at all.

Regina that heard Emma’s soft cries. She finished up in the bathroom as fast as she could and hurried back in the bed. She sat down next to her, calmly asking, “Emma, what is the matter?”

“My…brother. I left him behind. I never should have done that,” she whispered, showing her the message. She cried as she let Regina read the message. The brunette quickly read through before she wrote back on her love’s behalf, “Hi little brother, I have missed you so much. I think about you often. What kind of man you grew up to be. If you got a family, a good job, all the things we used to talk about when we lived together. I have been thinking about looking you up as well, but I didn’t know if you still had the same name and where in the world you were living now.

I am still in the hospital, recovering. It is the S. Juliane’s in The Big Apple, forth floor. I will probably stay here for a few days longer just in case. Just ask for me. Love you too. Emma.”

Emma watched as Regina wrote something and pressed send. She widened her eyes, mumbling, “You shouldn’t have done that without asking, you know.”

“I shouldn’t have, but it is clear you wanted to see him, only you can’t bring yourself to do so. I just helped you.” Regina pressed a loving kiss to her cheek.

“I love you too,” Emma whispered, gently pressing a kiss to her lips. She took a breath saying, “I haven’t seen your son here yet. Your parents won’t let him visit?”

“I assume they wouldn’t let him see me while we were still out of it. They’ll most likely bring him sometime tomorrow,” she reasoned. She had been wondering about that herself, missing her baby boy.

“I am sure you are right,” Emma nodded, pressing kisses to her cheek. She could only partly understand that her love was going through at the moment. It all seemed so unreal. Both that they were no longer there, that they were out. She might even meet Regina’s son the next day and possibly her own brother.

The blonde looked at phone, finding she wasn’t who she used to be when she got inside and perhaps would never be that person ever again. She didn’t mind, though. She pressed on an app on her phone, looking at the news page, eyeing what was new in the world. Soon realizing she and Regina was on every page. That and the silenced contestant, and people suing the TV show meaning it would no longer go on after this. She quickly looked up the term SwanQueen online, finding groups, pages, and so much more. She looked at some of the video clips from the show but quickly clicked it away, seeing some fan art someone made. She pushed it away knowing only one thing: they were famous now.

Again she went back to the news page, seeing Cora making a statement regarding her daughter and that she was safe and the family would support whatever she might need in the future. She and her wife to be. A reporter asked if there would be a big wedding and when the big day was.

The female president had said she’d left that to the happy couple when they were done with the recovery. That she and her husband was just glad to have both of them home. She praised Emma for keeping her daughter alive and her daughter for doing the same with Emma and for them to be strong to managing to beat the so-called system. Someone asked if she had talked to Swan’s parents, and she said they had and had come to a mutual agreement, but she did not want to comment further on the matter. She then asked that the press would respect the privacy of her family, and that was the end of it.

“She really is the president,” Emma said, more to herself than anyone else.

“Your point being?” Regina wondered. She tilted her head looking at her love.

“Meaning whatever we do from here will be printed in every newspaper from here to the end of the world,” Emma muttered. She hadn’t even thought about that when they were in there. That they possibly would never get a regular life ever again.

“I think being there and surviving would’ve caused that anyway,” Regina said in a very soft tone.

“I know, I just never thought about the after- effects of this. I never thought we would have this big of a fanbase. That people would care this much. I only thought of being with you and surviving, if that makes sense,” Emma took a deep breath. She suddenly felt overwhelmed.

“It will be alright. There will come someone new in the papers in a matter of weeks we will be forgotten,” the brunette said calmly. She yawned, suddenly feeling very tired again.

The blonde nodded as she put the phone away and let Regina snuggled close, she soon closed her eyes and fell asleep, exhausted. It didn’t take much the blonde knew as she and her love had only been awake for moments at the time the past days. She knew that their bodies and minds needed time to adjust and if sleeping helped them to do that so be it. Besides Regina looked like and angel while she slept, and so Emma watched over her for some time, before she fell asleep as well.

* * *

The blonde didn’t wake until the next morning. Even in her deep sleep she felt something was off. It was almost like someone was standing over her, watching her like a shadow. She let her eyes flutter open and saw right into a pair of chocolate colored eyes, making her almost jump out of the bed. Having being used to the many creatures on the island her first thought was to attack, but quickly realizing once more where she was she quickly calmed herself down.

She took a deep breath, slowly getting more awake as she heard a small voice say, “I am sorry I scared you.”

“No…it’s alright. I am just not used to people watching me as a I sleep,” she said managing to focus on the young boy by her bed. No doubt this was Regina’s son, Henry. Another deep breath as she asked, “Where is your mom?”

“Auntie Lena helped her to the hospital café to get a coffee. She said I should stay so I wouldn’t get lost,” he shrugged.

“Ahh yes, she does love coffee,” the blonde recalled with a small laughter.

“Mmm.” He nodded with a shy smile.

“So?” she wondered, not sure how to start. She never was that good with kids.

“So what?” he looked at her with curious eyes.

“What do you like to do?” she wondered.

“I liked playing with my action figures, cars and outside. Granny says I make a little too much noise though. Or she did in the beginning. She is fine with it now. She…had to be, since mom was away,” he finished.

The blonde nodded, thinking before she asked; “So who is the best superhero then?”

“Superman over Batman, but Captain Marvel over all. You look a little like her, or a mix of her and She-Ra I guess,” he said with another shrug.

“Because of the blonde hair,” Emma reasoned.

“Yeah, and you are very strong. I watched you fight mom on the telly and online. Granny said I wasn’t allowed, but I sneaked and watched over her shoulder. She watched a lot. She was worried mama wouldn’t make it,” he told her. His tone serious.

“I had no doubt she would. She is a bit like Wonder Woman or Scarlett Witch,” Emma said.

“Mmm she is,” he agreed with a smile.

“I think you would make a nice Superman though,” Emma said and winked at him.

“I can beat you for sure,” he said with a grin standing up. He went over to get his backpack before pushed one of the chairs closer to the bed, then he used it as a stepping chair so he could get on the bed. She moved aside to give him room. It was only then it occurred to her that this young boy would be in her life from now on, much like his mother - or so she hoped. She watched as he took out some of his action figures of his backpack, the avengers and justice league by the looks of it. He handed her some and said, “Now we battle.”

Emma nodded surprised he wanted to play with her at all, but she figured it was the first time for everything. She took up batman and Captain Marvel and saw him do the same with Superman, Captain America and Iron man. In no time they made a story line and used the different characters to battle against each other, making the blonde forgot her worries right then. This, playing with him, even if she was in a hospital bed, felt right. Henry managed to push one of her female characters to the floor, making her say, “Oh no….the mighty Iron man has kicked me of a cliff! Quick Rocky, toss me some rope.”

“Haha, take that WonderWoman,” he said with a thriumphant grin.

Emma reached for her character, realizing the kid now was ticking her in the process. She got the character on the bed, doing a counter- attack as she fell apart in laughter.

Regina and Zelena that right then looked at the pair in the bed, action figures all around while they were laughing by the ongoing tickling match. It put a smile on Regina’s face. She took in this with tender eyes. She had moments before debated with her sister that she was worried if Emma and Henry getting along. The sight that meet them walking inside the room made her worries fade.

“You win! You win! Please stop!” Emma managed to get out between her laughs. He did grinning greatly. She ruffled her hair, before pressing a loving kiss on the top of his head. Only then she got aware of the two women watching them from the end of the room and blushed.

“What is going on here?” Regina wondered curiously.

“We were fighting for world dominance, obviously. When your son ambushed me,” Emma said like it was the most natural thing in the world.

“Obviously,” Regina said with a small smile. She in her silent mind wondered if it was possible to love Emma Swan more than she did just then.

“Well, can you blame him. He learned from the best,” Zelena shoot in nudging her sister a little. The brunette blushed slightly at this comment.

“I would expect nothing less. So is the whole family like this? I mean your mother is the president, your son a superhero. What does your father and sister do?” Emma wondered curiously.

“Well father is of course - First Gentleman - that sounds off, doesn’t it. He used to be in the police, but at the moment he is her bodyguard. Believe me, that was a huge fight to even let him have that role considering they are married, and that he would be to emotionally involved. Mother, of course, argued that it would make him the best man for the job. She always gets her way so… I am at the moment the head of the family business, which is a chain of hotels, but we also have a side business where we produce things of apples. I quite like doing both the administrative and things further down. I have talked to Regina and she will help me with that once she is back in full health. I understand you are a cop?” Zelena finished.

“Yes, and a damn fine one,” Emma said, pride in her voice now.

“I have no doubt about that,” said Zelena, smiling at her. She had come to like this woman that seemed to keep her younger sister sane on the television screen. She had no doubt that their love for each other was real.

Emma was about to speak when a young man entered the room, saying, “Excuse me is this the room of Emma Swan?”

“Neal!” Emma said, her eyes widened. He was as tall as she remembered their father and his hair was a salt and pepper mix with streaks of greys on the sides. She assumed those were colored in later on. He had the same color on his eyes as her, jawline of her father and eyes and nose from their mother. Right now, he was wearing a black leather jacket over a shirt with a print of a tiger on, and a pair of dark grey jeans, plus leather boots.

“Yeah it’s me,” he said and walked over to give her a gentle hug. Henry jumped of the bed and ran over to his mama. She stroked the top of his head gently, motioning for them to give the two others some space, leaving the room again.

“So?” she looked at him. She still found it a bit hard to believer that this fully grown man was her younger brother.

“I got a good job, I work as a curator at the natural history museum in town. I got a fiancée named Ashley and we are expecting our first at the beginning of the next year. Mom and dad are thrilled. I had a long talk with them last night and I know Regina’s dad did the same. Dad told me, he might be interested in meeting with you when you feel better or get released if you are up for it. We both get if you don’t want to and will respect that, of course. Ashley want to meet you, as well. We both want to have you in our lives. After all you are the aunt of our baby boy or girl. We’ve decided to wait until the baby is born to learn the sex. We are not having a baby shower either, in case something goes wrong, even if it probably won’t. Or so we hope. The first time…” he shook his head. It was too hard for him to say out loud. It still pained him to think of how they had lost their first baby in the first trimester a few years earlier. He knew it pained his wife even more, and so they were being even more careful this time.

“I am so sorry to hear that, and not being there for you. I am sure this one will be fine, and of course, I want to meet her and be a part of your life, little bro,” she said and hugged him again.

“I know. The first time it was hard for us, but I am glad you will be there for the second one. And it looks like you manage to make a family for yourself - in there of all places,” he commented with a laughter.

“Yes, although I never planned on falling for her, even if I have to admit she is not a bad match in any way,” she said with a soft laughter.

“I can see that. Only the best for my big sis. The kid is overly cute though,” he said and gave her a smile.

“Yes very. I can hardly wait to spend more time with them when all is normal,” she admitted with a dreamy sigh.

“I get that, maybe I can get your number, call you to check on you. You should probably get some rest,” he said seeing a doctor at the door. She nodded and gave it to him, giving him another hug. With that, he left as swift as she came. She was glad though, as it gave a promise of tomorrow or soon.

A deep breath as the doctor checked her before removing the I.V telling her she was doing much better than expected and should be able to return to work within the next weeks. She nodded and agreed to seeing a psychiatrist if she needed an outsider to talk to about what happened in there, knowing she most likely would get flashbacks. He told her that Regina had agreed to do the same, and she would perhaps need a lot of help returning to normal, having been in there for so long. The blonde simply agreed to do that without even a shred of doubt. Once he left, she put Henry’s toys aside and snuggled up under the covers, soon falling asleep.

* * *

Regina found her like that not long after, looking at her with tender eyes. This woman she had battled for about six months and come to love during that time. She heard her sister’s voice whisper, “You really love her, don’t you?”

“More than I loved anything. I will marry her,” Regina whispered back to not wake her.

“Good, go to her and get some rest. I will take Henry to daycare and see you later,” Zelena gave her a gently hug, before she gathered Henry’s things before leaving. The brunette watched over her love for a few seconds longer, before she went to curl up in bed next to her, pressing a kiss against her shoulder as she slowly fell asleep, holding her tight. This time she was the one to shelter Emma from the world, holding her protective within her grip as she drifted deeper into the land of dreams, battling whatever creature coming near then to keep her safe. She wasn’t afraid this time, because this time she found the strength to win over these beasts, having her love look at her with great admiration. If anyone had walked past their room just then they would see her smiling, resting her head on top of Emma’s, sleeping ever so peacefully.

* * *

Emma Swan was looking over at her wife. She was smiling as s she kicked a football with their son. He was ten now. The blonde was amazed she could even play in heels. Not that she should be, considering how they first meet. It seemed like forever ago by now, but Regina did get night terrors every once in a while. They were, however, very present in the first two years they lived together, making Emma not want to work nightshifts at the station. She was there to help her through it, every step of the way as she promised the doctor at the hospital.

She and Regina’s family and their friends, they had all helped her in various ways and by now Regina was president of the family firm, whereas Zelena was satisfied by being a chairholder and working more behind Regina. It gave her mother time to spend with her family. Although she easily stepped in if Regina needed a break, like the coming weekend where the two of them were going out of town for some alone time. Zelena would babysit Henry and the blonde could finally spoil her wife for the first time in ages.

In return Regina was there to help Emma witch whatever she was having trouble with as an after effect. It had taken the blonde a long time to sleep for more than four hours at the time, afraid that something would attach her in the middle of the dead-end night. She was calmer about it now, and she was working the nightshift that very night. She was looking forward to going into work with her new partner Merida, Ruby had transferred to ATF the year before. It suited her they both found.

As they had gradually adjusted to life outside the TV world, they had grown closer than inside and it seemed like they could always read each other. She always knew from a short text of phone message if she should stop by and give Regina a hug or something similar to make her feel better. Just like Regina knew when to use a harsh tone on Emma to get her to get her act together. The blonde whistled, getting her wife aware of her presence. She looked up and came running over, giving her a kiss.

The blonde still found it weird to think of her as her wife, feeling like the luckiest woman alive to be with someone that was so hot. She took a deep breath saying, “I soon need to go in, I need to fix a few things before the shift starts.”

“I know. Text me if you run late home,” Regina said, nuzzling against her cheek.

“I always will,” Emma kissed her again, then placed a hand on a little bump on Regina’s belly whispering, “You better behave when I am gone, Squirt.”

Regina hook her head, kissing her again as she watched her go- Her brave police officer. She was going to make the world a safer place, she knew, even if that job could sometimes be very hard. She noticed when the blonde had a hard shift and she simply held her close not letting her go, drying her tears if needed. She knew all too well, Emma couldn’t share and so she didn’t ask unless the blonde said something.

She thought back to when she married her on a sunny say in August three years earlier. It had been such a lovely day. A modest wedding, with their families and friends. Emma’s father had been there, but Emma’s mother….They still didn’t talk, and she knew her love could care less, by now Regina’s mother and Ruby’s grandmother was better mother figures than Emma’s own mother had ever been. Her own mother was still the president on the second term and it had been a lot back and forth on how the wedding should be. In the end they had all agreed on something modest on the lawn outside their house.

The brunette had cried so much that day of happiness, she recalled. It had felt like her heart was bursting, and maybe it did. She had made love to her over and over back then, and the blonde had done the same. They made sure to do that to this day, and her wife knew how to pleasure her. A sigh escaping her as she heard their son say, “She will be alright you know.”

“I know, my love,” she said with a soft smile. Emma was almost always alright, she knew deep down. She did what she did best. She always did, whether it was protecting the streets with her team, taking care of her family, or cheer for Henry on their football matches. She was blessed she knew as she walked into the house to start on dinner for two of them. She would leave a portion in the fridge for Emma, she always did. They were good their family, she knew. Just the right fit and soon one more on the way. All because the blonde had once given her a Snickers bar on one of the worst days of her life- something the brunette would never forget. Because that was the moment she knew she was in love with Emma Swan, and she still loved her more for each day. Because Emma always knew how to make her feel better, by now Regina knew it went both ways.

She heard a ping from her cell, from Emma saying, “I love you so much, beautiful. Thank you for being mine and make me feel lucky every single day.”

A smile spreading on dark red lips, and an extra spring in her step as she walked towards the kitchen, wondering how she could be this lucky. All because a blonde had been so very stubborn on the horrible island and forced her way into her heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading this story, feedback is always appreciated :o)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading this chapter, feedback is always appreciated :o)


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